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Pace set a good pace for final day at classic

By Vic Allshouse

E-E Outdoors Columnist

This year’s Bassmasters Classic was a true nail-biter for the anglers as well as the fans. After the 53-angler field was cut to the top 25 for the final day of fishing after Saturday’s weigh-in, it seemed that Petal, MS angler Cliff Pace would be the victor of this year’s “Super Bowl” of bass fishing. But for those of us who did not attend the event at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, we were able to watch the events unfold on BASSTrakk via computer updates every five minutes - we KNEW it was going to the wire.

Pace had set the bar high during the first two days of competition with Friday’s weight of 21-8 ending in a tie for first with New Jersey angler Mike Iaconelli. Maiden, NC’s Hank Cherry was behind, but only by ounces at 20-15.

With typical Sooner State weather changes, Saturday’s conditions went from partly cloudy skies, and a slight wind and warmer temps, to bright blue skies, slick water and cooler temps. This affected the fish and their behavioral patterns and not many of the pros made the correct adjustment in methods or techniques to catch the quality fish needed to take a win. Not many – save for Pace.

Pace continued his method of fishing and at the end of the day, amassed a five-fish limit weighing 21-12 while Iaconelli’s limit of 13-11 dropped him to third. Up and comer Brandon Palanuik

blazed his way to second place by increasing his first day’s total of 16-10 with another limit weighing 19.10.

By Sunday’s launch the field endured another weather change – this day included cooler temps and wind. Interviews with many of the anglers during the previous two days of fishing, revealed their thoughts that the weather had a big role to play in the way the fish were feeding and their location in relation to the previous day’s fishing. And today the field would be cut to only the top 25 to share the fishing rights to Grand Lake’s waters.

Those 25 anglers were having a tough time finding fish. But through the amazing world of our modern day communications, I was updated every five minutes from my computer. I could watch as each of the 25 caught, kept/culled fish to reach their maximum weight. Though the weights were just estimates from each angler’s boat marshal, they were fairly accurate when the fish were presented at the scales. And the anglers themselves, while fishing, did not have any idea of where they stood in the standings or who was catching fish.

Leading going in to the final day with a difference of just over 7 pounds between first and second place is hard to overcome for those farther down behind you. But for Grand Lake, seven pounds can be just one good bite.

As Sunday’s day on the water wound down to within 2 hours of the finish time, it looked as though young Palaniuk was making a run and Mike McClelland of Belle Vista, AR was right there in the fray. Pace had only found two keepers at that late point of the game and, by using BASSTrakk, I was able to see him return to the location he had strayed from earlier in the event. That return to the “honey hole” that had given him those two great days, finally payed off again as he boated two more keeper fish. That extra weight was all he needed to take the $500,000 first place award and giant trophy home.

McClelland made a hard charge with a limit weighing 17-14, but alas fell short, placing him in 5th. Palaniuk’s five fish fell by the wayside at 15-4, 3 pounds shy and placing him in second place, while Iaconelli ended in fourth with Hank Cherry taking third.

Almost every angler who crossed the stage during the first 2 days of competition, praised the lake’s fisheries, the city of Grove and the city of Tulsa for their prep and organization, hospitality and fan base. On the lake, the fans were out in force around the most popular of the pros with a few of them reporting as many as 100 spectator boats following them as they fished and traveled from one location to another.

Though we received some much-needed precipitation from the recent winter rain, sleet and snow, it is still not sufficient to fill our water supply, Hulah Lake. Since moisture was soaked up quickly in most areas, the run-off we experienced in Bartlesville proper, was an exception rather than the rule for most of the Hulah drainage basin. The lake, as of this writing, is still extremely low and water conservation is still urged.

Help do your part in any way you can. If we all saved ten gallons each day it all adds up to a giant leap towards keeping the crippling water rationing rules in check.